A big piece of American short track racing history will be revived in 2020. After inactivity for more than five years, engines will once again roar to life at Gresham Motorsports Park (GA) on May 16-17, 2020 for a Super Late Model event featuring the Southern Super Series.
The event at Gresham will be the first stock car race held at the track since August 9, 2014. Known as the home of the prestigious World Crown 300, the race track formerly known as Jefco Speedway, Georgia International Speedway and Peach State Speedway has a rich history and is a favorite among those who have competed there previously.
This promotion of the race is a partnership between Bob Dillner of Speed51 and Tim Bryant of the Southern Super Series presented by Sunoco. Together, they will be working closely with Jim Gresham, who owns Gresham Motorsports Park.
Underneath Gresham’s ownership, the facility underwent a multi-million-dollar renovation in 2009 and was renamed Gresham Motorsports Park. Micky Cain will also be part of the management group for the event.
Other races, events and activities for the weekend, plus all the details for the actual racing will be announced in the coming weeks.
“Bringing a track back to life is going to be very special,” said Bob Dillner, President of Speed51. “Jim has given us his blessing; his facility was ahead of its time when he revamped the facility. We are planning a huge event which culminates on the day after the NASCAR All-Star Race. Just the fact that Gresham Motorsports Park will be racing again is important, not only to the state of Georgia, but the entire country. We hear too many tracks becoming ‘Lost Speedways’ these days.”
After sanctioning the last event held at the track in 2014, the Southern Super Series will return to the track for the fifth time in series history. Previous SSS winners at Gresham include Bubba Pollard, Preston Peltier, Anderson Bowen and the most recent winner Casey Roderick.
“While there is no doubt that racing has faced some challenges in recent years, I don’t remember a time where there was so much anticipation about an upcoming season. Excitement is definitely brewing and the timing couldn’t be more perfect to return to Gresham Motorsports Park,” said Tim Bryant. “We appreciate Jim Gresham’s willingness to return racing to one of the south’s most premier facilities, and we feel this will be a must-see event on the 2020 Calendar.”
“The Gresham family is pleased Tim Bryant of Five Flags Speedway and Bob Dillner of Speed51, in the interest of preserving late model racing in Georgia, will be hosting an event at Gresham Motorsports Park,” said Gresham.
Fans can save the date on their calendars now. On May 16-17, 2020, the Southern Super Series will compete at Gresham Motorsports Park in Jefferson, GA. Details regarding purse, other divisions, activities and a test date will be made available soon. For more information please contact Bob Dillner.
Fans can also follow @RaceGMP on Twitter, as well as @speed51dotcom, for more information regarding upcoming events at the venue.
-Text by Speed51 Staff
-Photo credit: Speed51 photo
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